When people play mbira at a ceremony, there is a pair of maracas that are used together called "Hosho". This is made from a gourd, too. The sound from the Hosho is very big and unlike the maracas used in music in other parts of the world, the Hosho play a main role in driving the beat of mbira music. It is added to liven the atmosphere of the mbira sound performance, helping the participants enter a trance-like state.
Left：A local man who has Hosho in his hand.
Right：A person who is playing Hosho along with an mbira performance.
When a performance of mbira begins, the sound of the Hosho occurs at the same time as the mbira. Next, the speed of the music increases and people begin to sing. There is no rule that you must sing in a certain way. The vocals of mbira music are more like someone telling a story than someone singing a song. The singing can range from high pitched and powerful, like music of the Native Americans, to low pitched muttering, depending on the mood of the music.
Vocalists of black music such as Soul and Gospel have a powerful vocal style. The vocals of mbira music, on the other hand, are more like the blowing of the wind, flowing naturally with the music.
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